to keep our nation from plunging off the fiscal cliff but he says the two sides still have ground to cover and the time is running out. that one-two punch that will kick in, hours from now, on january 1, and if the president and congressional lawmakers cannot hash it out, the united states could fall into another recession. here is part of the framework for the agreement. the bush tax cuts would expire for incomes above $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for families. unemployment benefits would continue for one year and the estate tax would go up. we have learned lawmakers are still working out the automatic spending cuts. president obama weighs in saying middle class families can not get caught in the middle. >> the last thing folks like the folks up here on this stage can afford right now is to pay an extra $2,000 in taxes next year. middle-class families can not afford it, businesses cannot afford it, our economy can not afford it. >>trace: traders on wall street are watching the president's comments. the chance of going over the cliff may not look great but the dow is up for